Best Way To Tow A Mototrcycle Behind A MH?

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ezrider

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Jan 27, 2008
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We are seriously thinking of taking off in a class A MH full time for a year or more between selling and buying a new stick home. Wife and I really enjoy biking too.

1. One idea is to tow a full size 850lb Harley touring bike in a 10' enclosed trailer behind the MH instead of a car. Is this a bad idea? Will we really miss not having a car?

2. If I use a pickup truck to haul the bike is there a way to keep the the bike from being trashed by the weather and road grime? If I put a cover on the bike will the wind whip it around and mess up the paint?

3. Maybe putting the bike in something like a Ford Econoline van is a good idea? Can I ride a 850lb Harley touring bike up a ramp into this kind of van, I don't have a problem removing the windshield? This would give us extra storage capacity for other gear too. Is towing a van behind a MH a dumb idea?

4. Is a carrier lift attached to the back of the MH with a car in tow a better idea, again can I cover the bike and not have the wind whip the cover around and mess up the bike? Does the bike being this close to the MH prevent the wind from whipping the cover around?

Very interested in what our options are?.

Thank you.
 
Have you looked into a ramp load on the back of the motor home that would hold your bike and you could still tow the truck, option 2 is the larger dolly that can carry both a bike and tow a vehicle.  Here is one of those dollys http://www.overbiltlifts.com/prices.html  and here is another http://www.deucehaul.com/index.html
 
We see quite a few people traveling with bikes rather than cars and many more that have both, either towing a trailer large enough for car & bike(s) or using the overbilt style lift that utmtman suggested.
 
The only problem I see is that some parks have a rule against Motorcycles.. In my travels I have stayed at ONE such park.

Now... that said, There are bikes, and there are bikes.. A full dress Harley is usually a good bike, (Depending a lot on the rider) likewise something like a Honda Goldwing

In fact I'd rather park next to either one of those than some of the folks with big honking Diesel tow vehicles (NOTE Tow, not towed) or class A's who sit there and idle for 2 hours while they set up or take down and ... Well... The list of objections goes on.

However there are also 2-stroke Rice burners out there with the baffles removed so as to make maximum noise.

And far as I'm concerned 10,000 miles away is where they should park (For the record this country is NOT that big)
 
Hauling a motorcycle is tricky.  I have looked at lifts, trailers and pickups to do the job.  The lifts are about $3000+ not counting installation.  The trailers are not cheap as well although a little 10X6 could do it and is cost effective.  Pickups will work but loading and expense are a pain.  The bike is still in the elements and subject to security issues.  I really think traveling with four wheels is important although your bike is really nice.  We were in Ouray CO on July 4th. 1989, touring on our FL.  We ran into hail on Red Mtn Pass and it was miserable.  We arrived at Ouray and got a room just outside of town.  It rained/hailed/sleeted all night and into the next day.  We were hungry and cold.  Your MH should offset that but wintering, even in the South could be a problem.  We ended up getting a full size van and put the motorcycle and bicycles in there.  Plenty of room.  Good luck whatever your decision.
Phil
John, You need some straight pipe Harley's to move in next door.  Now that is noise!
 
motojavaphil,

The van is a great idea!  Seems like the best of both worlds, what is the downside, if any of towing the van?

Which van do you have? What kind of ramp setup are you using to get in and out of the van?

Thank you.
 
ezrider

I have a friend, who, until a couple of weeks ago, had a pickup mounted lift for sale. I do not know the brand name but will check with him.  The lift mounts in the bed of the truck, lowers to the ground, you tied your bike down on it, and it raises back to the bed of the truck.

I carry my bike on an Overbilt lift.  Of course, it gets dirty.  It gets dirty when I ride it also. 
When a friend told me I was crazy to ride my bike to Alaska because of the beating it would take, I knew he was a looker, not a rider.  That bike is about to turn over 100,000 miles.

I will get back to you on the lift.
 
Hi Ezrider
if you have a pickup have a look at www.rampagelift.com thats how i carry my chopper,load it myself in about 5 mins
Ian
 
motojavaphil said:
John, You need some straight pipe Harley's to move in next door.  Now that is noise!

Oh, I know how loud they can get...

But to be honest it is not the  bike, Harley does not make 'em straight pipe, they make them properly muffeled

It is the rider

Now the rice  burners.. those 2-stroke are going to assult my ears no matter how nice the rider is, nature of the engine
 
I see those smokers very seldom and I suspect the one we do see are faily old.  Not too many 2 cycles even sold anymore I don't believe.
 
Ezrider i also forgot the important bit.I cover mine with a cover from walmart although the chopper is 9ft long the cover for a fully dressed Harley or Gold wing is plenty big enough to cover the whole bike and tie it underneath ,keeps mine nice and clean
 
There are some off road two stroke motorcycles which John may have heard.  Then again you could get a bunch of Canadians move in with their chain saws ;D.

KZ, We recently purchased an 07 Ford E150 Cargo Van.  It is the short wheelbase version with a curb weight around 4760.  Remco has the plate and Roadmaster can supply the rest of the package.  You will need a driveline disconnect.  Loading I accomplish via an ATV ramp which is 3' wide and I can walk the bike into the cargo area and just slide the ramp in next to the bike once loaded.  I call it a trailer with a motor.  We also have a 10X6 trailer and will be parking it in storage on a military base for $10 a month and it will be chuck full of storage stuff.  We will be putting in adjustable strip tie downs, similar to military cargo planes, so that I can adjust tie downs as necessary.  We are also going to put in a small closet behind the drivers seat for leathers and helmets.  I think you would be fine with one bike but watch the height, do your measurements.  You may have to remove the windshield if you are so equipped.  I was able to place a Ducati Hypermotard in the cargo area without a problem.  There was enough room for two of the Ducatis.
Hope this helps,
Phil   
 
Ian,

Does the motorhome block the wind from whipping your cover around while you're towing?

Thank you.
 
My Harley is too big and heavy (850 lbs) to walk up a ramp. The windshield comes off pretty easy. Very curious if I can ride it up into something like a Ford Econoline van? If I can make a van work it would keep the bike out of the weather and we could carry some additional gear and keep it dry too. Is a van a dumb idea to tow behind a MH?

Thank you.
 
Hi Ezrider i actually tow a 30ft Travel Trailer  with the bike in the truck but with the cover strapped down with a few straps it doesnt go anywhere.Campingworld does a very nice heavy duty cover but its around the $100 price .Back in the uk when i used to carry bikes for a tow company we always used a hightop van ,one you could stand up in.We had one equiped for harley sized bikes with a ramp ,a front wheel dolly and 12v winch .Have a look at  motorcycleramps.com  click on powered motorcycle ramps and take a look at the cruiser ramp ,thats just like i used to use ,that way you could load the bike into a lower roof van
Ian
 
While in FL last year, a camping neighbor had a beautiful set up - Harley in bed of Dodge Dakota being towed on a dolly behind the Motorhome.  He said for the most part they used the bike for almost all their sightseeing.  But, the Dakota got used for grocery runs and rain/fowl weather. 

As to keeping the bike clean, he had a cover/tarp, if towing in fowl weather, but I'd not seen it.
 

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